Offensively Flat:
Jarome Iginla and his offensive mates couldn't get it done
against Minnesota.

A
game like this would
have killed the Flames
last year.

And
the year before that.

And
the year . . . . .

If
there has been one
aspect of Calgary's
makeup which has left
them gasping for air
these last few years it
has been their penalty
killing, the Flames
making an annual
tradition of finishing
in the nether regions of
the NHL in that
statistic and, not
coincidentally, in the
standings as well.

After
a rocky start to this
season, however, Flames
penalty killing under
assistant coach Brian
Skrudland has been
gradually improving and
last night, aided by the
excellent goaltending of
starter Roman Turek,
Flames killed eight
power plays in finishing
in a 1-1 tie with the
visiting Minnesota Wild.

Through
two periods the Wild
generated 14 of their 22
shots on the man
advantage, but Turek was
outstanding for the
second straight game in
finishing the night with
34 saves in front of
14,118, the smallest
crowd of the season at
the Saddledome.

The
tie left Calgary interim
coach Al McNeil
undefeated at 1-0-1 with
CTV Sportsnet reporting
the Flames will name the
replacement for fired
mentor Greg Gilbert
sometime tomorrow.

Ominously,
it was the 14th time in
the last 15 games the
Flames have scored two
or fewer goals although
the trap-happy Wild,
executing their ample
defensive skills with
supreme team speed, are
a wily opponent on any
night.

Flames
had only 20 shots on the
night and saw their own
miserable power play
streak continuing, going
zero for two on the
night.

The
tie brought the Flames
within one point of
three teams, Phoenix,
San Jose and Columbus,
in the NHL's rough
Western Conference,
Calgary now 7-13-4-3 on
the season and six
points out of a playoff
spot.

Flames
got the start they
wanted in this one when
Rob Niedermayer corralled
a Chris Drury rebound
and wristed a shot
behind Minnesota starter
and ex-Flame Dwayne
Roloson only 37 seconds
into the game.

But
Minnesota didn't roll
over and took the game
to the Flames through
the rest of the first
period, helped by four
power plays, with Andrew
Brunette tying the score
at 13:27 when he wristed
an off-wing shot past a
surprised Turek.

Flames
were reduced to five
defencemen when they
lost Robyn Regehr at
18:19 of the first
period to a five minute
major and game
misconduct with the
Flames defender caught
for spearing.

Calgary
looked to have taken a
lead early in the second
period when Jarome
Iginla drove through the
crease and the puck
eventually ending up
behind a belly-flopping
Roloson. But the
overhead camera evidence
of the puck sliding
freely under the Wild
goaltender's belly had
little impact on the
officials and the
evident goal was called
back.

Oleg
Saprykin continued his
fine play, ringing one
off the post just prior
to the Iginla
opportunity.

Minnesota
entered the game having
lost three straight at
the Saddledome.

Flames
have three days off
(time enough to name a
coach?) before a trip to
Vancouver to face the
red-hot Canucks on
Monday.

SCOREBOARD

Calgary
Flames

1

Minnesota
Wild

1

Saprykin

Conroy

Iginla

Niedermayer

Drury

Nichol

Gelinas

Yelle

Clark

Berube

Johansson

Sloan

Lydman

Regehr

Montador

Gauthier

Buzek

Dupont

1
Roman Turek -
The best
penalty killer
of the night
and the reason
the Flames
were able to
pull a
valuable point
out of this
one.

2
Marian Gaborik
- eight
shots on the
night and that
didn't even
include a
first period
goal
post.

3
Toni Lydman -
Only six
seconds shy of
half the game
in ice time
and a rock
after Regehr
was banished.

Five
foot seven
inch Scott
Nichol was
motoring down
the right wing
when he met up
with the solid
wall of
6'3"
monster Willie
Mitchell,
Nichol
bouncing off
Mitchell like
a rubber ball
off a church
wall.

With
Sergei Zholtok
bearing down
on him in
overtime,
Turek held his
ground and
kept the game
even.

Conroy
entered the
game with
points in five
of the last
six games. . .
. . it was
Niedermayer's
600th career
NHL game . . .
. . .
"It's
back to
business,"
said Denis
Gauthier of
the second
game without
former coach
Greg Gilbert,
saying the
mood in the
dressing room
is already
looking ahead
instead of
backwards at
the events of
the last week.
. . . . . Matt
Johnston -
team captain.
Who would have
ever thought
that? Wild
rotate team
captains on a
monthly basis
and its
Johnston for
the month of
December. . .
. . Mattias
Johansson was
a surprise
healthy
scratch . . .
. . . Wild
have won only
five of their
last 15 . . .
. . . . As a
sidenote, one
of the
rumoured
Flames
coaching
candidates,
Kevin
Constantine,
was a guest
analyst on a
TSN broadcast
from Toronto
last night. Is
he catching
the red-eye to
Calgary right
now?. . . . .
Lydman led the
Flames with
29:54 in ice
time while,
surprisingly,
Andrei Zyuzin,
a recent
acquisition
from New
Jersey, led
Minnesota with
23:23. . . . .
It might have
been the most
lop-sided game
of the season
for the Flames
faceoff men,
obliterating
the Wild with
a 67% winning
percentage led
by Chris Drury
at 70%. The
lowest Flame
was Craig
Conroy at 64%.
Leading the
Wild was
Pascal Dupuis
at 42%.